Based on my last two visits, it befuddles me that Old Town Social is half-empty. (I'll add the caveat that I tried to watch a USA v. Ghana World Cup match there, and bypassed OTS, because the line was out the door and around the corner.) However, if the charcuterie offered at other gastropubs around town is at least partly the attraction that packs them, I don't know why the same does not apply to OTS, if not more so.
First, I'll acknowledge three downsides of OTS that perhaps put people off. One, its edge-of-Lincoln Park location. It is difficult, I think, for Lincoln Park restaurants to establish serious credibility. There are good places to eat there, but they are eclipsed by the reputation that food in this neighborhood is about Irish nachos and 10 cent chicken wings. Second, along the same lines, the front of the house is better-suited to a Lincoln Park sports bar than a serious restaurant. Scantily clad, waifish female servers, bartenders and hostesses do not give the image to patrons that the back-of-the-house is serious. So there's a disconnect betweeen what you see, and what you're served. Finally, the space is so cavernous that it lacks the sort of tuck-in coziness that the design of even large restaurants, like Publican, can offer.
But I think the thing that OTS has most going against it is its utter lack of hipsterness. No bearded bartenders, or thick-eyeglassed staff. Some might think it a tad cheesy. I dunno, I don't care at all about what's cool in the moment, but if you can overlook these things, though, this is a really good place to eat, if only just for charcuterie service. The finocchiona exceeds my prior favorite on offer at the Fatted Calf in Napa. Big chunks of sweet fat, respectable gaminess, and fennel aroma, this is a beaut. Pepperoni, made with angus, is noticeably beefier, and less salty than your Italian grocer versions, but still achieves that dry, textured toughness and red paprika color associated with this snack sausage. My only beef (pun intended) is that it could have been spicier.
The accompanying, mustardy, but not too tart, picalilli, offsets all this fatty richness.
I tried the angus beef burger, which was slightly overcooked, but appreciated the loosely, hand-packed juicy beefiness. It's put together carefully on a griddled sesame-seed bun.
I also really appreciated the golden-colored, multi-textured Belgian fries with aioli. The menu does not say, but based on comments upthread, they are fried in goose fat. Given the trend lately to over-fry french fries into dark, crunchy oblivion, I liked the boldness inherent in serving simple fries in which some a soft texture, and some a crispy texture, and both tasting like potato instead of their frying oil.
The liquor selection is not vast, but contains essentials, and the cocktails are creative and well-made for a bar/restaurant (although not made to the level of certain cocktail dens). The wine list is well-curated, and I loved their offer of a fantastic Spanish rosé, with rosé being the most overlooked wine in the industry. There's also a decent selection of bourbon. Speaking strictly food-wise, if you look at OTS as the less casual and ambitious sibling to Mado (where the charcuterie is better than entrees), Publican (where everything varies), and Longman and Eagle (where entrees are much better than starters), and as a place you drop into for a drink or two and a few bites, you will eat well. I think it's worth our support -- and more of it -- if only for its wonderful charcuterie.